Martinez signs bill creating Silver Alert for NM

Gov. Susana Martinez has signed legislation into law to create a statewide Silver Alert program to help locate missing people with dementia and other conditions.

The law takes effect in July, and the program will notify law enforcement agencies, the news media and others when a person 50 years or older suffering from Alzheimer's, dementia, or a brain injury goes missing.

About 30 other states operate similar programs, which are modeled after the Amber Alert system that provides for emergency distribution of notices of a child's abduction.

In signing the measure on Monday, Martinez said the Silver Alert program "will protect seniors who might not be able to protect themselves."

The governor's father died late last year after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's disease.